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Hope and The Royal Wedding - 04/29/11 12:26 PM
We have been exposed to unremitting bad news for so long that I have almost become numb to it. The bad news has been global in its extent and intensely personal in its impact. The horrible suffering of the Japanese people, the phone call from an agent at my office who had just lost his family home of almost 20 years in foreclosure. Global and private all mixed into a soup of human misery.
And, then here comes this lovely young couple, getting married to an audience of 2 billion viewers around the world. I have been watching war-hardened reporters consumed with … (4 comments)
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Real Estate Industry Folklore - 04/24/11 12:54 PM
As I go about my day, it is common for me to talk with people who used to be in the industry. How often have we heard someone comment, "I used to be in real estate, but it was just too cut-throat, so I got out..." That comment has always puzzled me. That has never been my experience. I don't know where that bit of folklore comes from.
The overwhelming majority of the people I have worked with over the years are wonderful, resourceful and kind, people who are making a living from being helpful. When I have asked them for … (5 comments)
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Appraisals - 04/21/11 03:21 PM
Appraisals are usually done to assure the bank that if they have to foreclose, they won't loose money on the deal. At least, that is the theory. In the current foreclosure environment, the appraisal done at the time the note was new is small comfort to the lender now. That is a totally different Blog Entry!
Appraisals are good for cash buyers, too. I have a client who is a cash buyer. I have suggested to him that he get an appraisal. I am going to tell him what I think the property is worth. That is part of the Due Diligence … (3 comments)
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Green Spot Market & Fuels - 04/20/11 12:52 AM
The Green Spot Market & Fuel is a convenience store but with a difference. Located just east of White Rock Lake, in Old Lake Highlands, they sell snacks and such just like every other convenience store. The difference? All their inventory is standard health-food-store brands. And I was told that the gasoline that they sell is a little bit green as well, having a higher ethanol content than is typical. I had no idea. I have gone past this place over and over and would never have gone in without a native guide to take me there. I bet you didn't know that the … (4 comments)
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Nothing Good Happens Fast - 04/11/11 07:09 PM
Everything worth having take time to acquire. Everything worth doing requires thought, preparation and planning. The things that develop quickly are either not good (think fire, explosions, dog bites) or they don't last.
And, if something is moving too quickly for my comfort, I have an absolute right to explain to the other people involved that I need to slow down. Decisions made fast are not always the right decision. Sometimes indecision masquerades as fear, but that is another blog posting for another day. The only decision you want to make quickly is where to do to dinner or which taco … (3 comments)
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Sissortail Flycatchers - 04/11/11 05:30 PM
I was showing a really great property yesterday up in Frisco, a property in a subdivision where all the lots are acreage. Each house had lots of pasture land and trees, plenty of cover for wildlife and birds. Driving back, I spotted the first Sissortail Flycatcher of the season. For me, seeing one means that summer is on its way. Sissortails spend their winter down in Central and South America, summering in Texas, Oklahoma and parts of Missouri, Arkansas and Louisiana. http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Scissor-tailed_Flycatcher/lifehistory
Oklahoma claims them as their state bird. http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/birds/okscisso/index.htm
They are easy to identify in the field. That tail is distinctive. In … (0 comments)
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Another Trip Down Memory Lane - 04/08/11 12:16 AM
I had some banking business to do this week, so I was sitting with a banker while he did some stuff on his computer. As you know, things at the bank always take twice as long as you expect. So, I am sitting there, thinking about things, looking for details to focus on as a way to occupy my mind while I waited.
The banker apologized for how long things were taking. He said that the connection was just running slow today. And, that got me thinking about dial-up connections which lead to memories of accessing the Internet in the early … (6 comments)
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Rambo - 04/07/11 11:18 PM
It really has been an unusual week. Let me tell you about the most unusual thing I have had happen at a listing appointment, ever. It happened this week.
The property was a condo in a gated complex. The property owner met me in the parking lot and walked me up to her unit. As we stood outside the door, she turned to me and told me that she has a little bitty dog who may be a tiny bit aggressive, but I was not to worry because she would control him. I don't remember just why and at what point she told … (12 comments)
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The Dog Ate My Homework - 04/07/11 11:00 PM
As of today I have a brand new and novel excuse for why we were late to the closing. Here is what happened...
My seller is old, in poor condition, on oxygen. Her spouse isn't familiar with the city and didn't think he could find the title company. I told her No Problem, I'll just come get you. Easy!
The house is about 8 miles from my office, on the other side of downtown. I was about a mile away from their house when the call came in. It was from a family member. "Judith," she said, "you are going to … (8 comments)
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Asking for the Kitchen Sink - 04/06/11 11:16 AM
If you are in this business long enough, it was bound to happen. I got to ask someone for The Kitchen Sink in a deal. Here is what happened.
I have had a listing for a long time, a wonderful home in a local historic district. All homes have 5 structural systems (foundation, roof, wiring, plumbing, heating). On this house, all 5 are compromised or missing. How about that? A buyer has been identified, a cash buyer who will be bring this home back to its former glory (one hopes). The ink on the contract has dried, the survey ordered, the … (2 comments)
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How Did We Used To Get Along Without Email? - 04/05/11 12:03 PM
I am currently doing a deal with a seller who is in her 80s. She doesn't use email. Everything that I have needed signed has been hand delivered. I haven't had to do that in a long, long, long time. It has gotten me to thinking about the miracle of email and how did we used to get along without it. Which has had me going down Memory Lane.
FAX Machines. We used to have FAX Machines. When FAX machines first came along, they were such a hot bit of technology, an entire real estate franchise was named for them. The … (5 comments)
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Inspections On New Construction. By Dan Polimino. - 04/05/11 09:57 AM
Dan Polimino has posted a really interesting post on using a home inspector on new constructions during month 10 rather than prior to closing, relying on the builder's people to generate a good pre-closing punch list. I have reblogged that below. I think that suggestion borders on brilliant and I am going to begin suggesting it to my clients as a possible approach.
The other thing I am going to do is to ask the inspectors I use most often what they think about the suggestion. I like having a pre-closing inspection on new construction. I think it gives peace … (1 comments)
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We Teach Others How We Want To Be Treated - 04/04/11 11:18 AM
My cat's life changed radically about a month ago when a dog came to live at my house. One of the changes is that the cat's food is now up on a counter where the dog can't get to it. Without my help, the cat can't get up there either. I have become a human cat-elevator. The cat will stand there and kind of brace himself and wait for me to understand that it is time for me to pick him up and put him up where his food is located. He has trained me to understand what he wants and … (2 comments)
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When to Stop Negotiating - 04/01/11 02:41 PM
The key to successful negotiation is a finely honed sense of listening. You have to hear what the other side is telling you. You have to hear the details hovering around the actual words. Speaking metaphorically, you have to sense the movement in the groundwater under your feet. You have to pay attention. And there is a time to just plain shut up. Please. Pretty-please. Unhappily not everyone does that when they are in the negotiation mode.
For example, today I am negotiating a multiple offer on a listing. The other agent was so wound up in the persuasion mode that he … (0 comments)
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Judith Abbott
Dallas,
TX
More about me…
Coldwell Banker Residential
Address: 6301 Gaston Ave Ste 125, Dallas, TX, 75214
Office Phone: (214) 828-4300
Cell Phone: (214) 228-9828
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